Join Greenhouse Gas(GHG) Reduction Program ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda announced to the press today that ClassNK will commit 2.2 billion yen (US$25 million) in research and funding as part of its participation in a national joint R&D program to reduce maritime greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ClassNKs commitment will cover more than 25% of the projects total budget of 8.5 billion yen (US$95 million) through 2012. The announcement was made at a press conference today where Mr. Ueda outlined the classification societys objectives for 2010.During the conference, Mr. Ueda, who will become the Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) this July, stated that, Classification societies must take a leading role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He continued by saying, Our commitment as an industry must go beyond merely helping to establish goals for reducing maritime emissions. We must actively contribute to developing, funding, and promoting concrete, practical technologies to make the achievement of these goals a reality. The commitment we are making today is an important step in that process.The R&D program is part of a national effort to reduce GHG emissions established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT) last...

Security lapses in the region Are the unregulated Flag Of Convenience (FOC) to blame for security lapses in the region? This is the question many maritime experts are asking. According to seamen in Mombasa, FOC vessels flying Kenyan, Tanzanian and Zanzibar flags had increased tremendously in the regions Indian Ocean territorial waters in the recent past. An investigation revealed that most of these vessels fish illegally or transport suspicious cargo.The investigation was conducted after it emerged that a Tanzanian oil tanker, which was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden a fortnight ago, was sailing under a Panama flag. It was later discovered that the owners are Cambodian based and its port of registry is Phnom Penh.According to experts, the unregulated FOCs fuel illegal activities such as arms smuggling, money laundering and trafficking in goods and people.A seafarer who sought anonymity admitted to having worked on one such vessels in August 2008. It was a Zanzibar flagged ship whose call sign and the IMO number were questionable, but it was allowed to sail in and out of Mombasa port, to Mtwara enroute to Madagascar, he said.The irony is that Kenyas maritime experts have been pushing for the inclusion of...

Prevention of Human Error Aboard Ships Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) is pleased to announce the publication of a new guideline entitled, Guidelines for the Prevention of Human Error aboard Ships. Man-made causes are said to account for some 80% of all marine casualties. Hence, reducing the possibility of human error can be considered as being both essential to and an effective means of reducing casualties. While many factors can contribute to a casualty, human error onboard ship can be often reduced by strengthening the training and education of all crew, and by addressing more indirect contributing factors such as hardware or other ergonomic related causes.The implementation of the International Safety Management Code has played an important role in strengthening the training and education of crewmembers. At the same time, the shipping industry has globally also started to become aware of the importance of ergonomic considerations in the design and installation stages of marine equipment systems in recent years. In fact, ergonomic design of the man and machine interface is not only important for ensuring a smooth flow of information between man and machinery, but is also expected to make the working environment of marine equipment systems more effective and safer....

Prosecution of fine The Port of Trieste has advised that, with effect from 3 March 2010, vessels using fuels with a sulphur content exceeding 0.10% by mass (in contravention of EU Directive 2005/33/EC) will be prosecuted with fine of between Euros 15,000 and 150,000 (usually 30,000 for the first offence). Exemption to the law will not be granted anymore and all eventual special authorisations issued in the past are cancelled, it states.This means that ship and port safety may be sacrificed purely in order to generate local harbour funds.Trieste Port does go on to say that a reduction of the fine may be requested according to the European Recommendation (2009/1020/EU of 21.12.2009) within 30 days from the notification of fine, showing evidence of steps taken by ship operator, class and boiler manufacturer to complete the work enabling the vessel to burn fuel according to the EU Directive. However once a fine reduction application has been submitted, Trieste Port points out that the supporting documents are subject to evaluation by the officer on duty; if this evidence is considered insufficient to merit a reduction of the fine to the minimum, then the fine could rise to the maximum set by law...

Enhance maritime security The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abdulsalam Mohamed, has said that the Cargo Tracking Note scheme will help ensure transparency in the maritime industry. The NPA chief made the clarification on the newly introduced Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) scheme over the weekend. He said that the objective of government introducing the scheme was to enhance the security of the maritime industry.Mr. Mohammed said that maritime nations felt it was necessary to obtain advance information on cargoes as well as the vessels and the personnel conveying them."This is just like the international maritime community, which came up with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISDS) code after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the U.S," he said. "There is need to track and have adequate information relating to cargo and ship movements"He also stated that the scheme will foster better information exchange between maritime agencies of other countries and those in Nigeria. "NPA had been discussing with the Shipping Agents of Nigeria (SAN), NACCIMA, MAN and others which had confidence in the CTN scheme. The scheme had actually taken off on Jan. 11, 2010 but a little grace period was given till the...

Shipping Lane Patrols Make Major Hit On Somali Pirates Operation Atalanta, the attempt by an EU joint force to restrict and eliminate pirate attacks has scored a major victory this week. The operation has two primary purposes, firstly to ensure the safe passage of vessels destined to bring aid on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP) safely to those who need it in the African state and secondly to try and ensure no attacks take place on ordinary freight and container ships and particularly the many oil tankers whilst they transit the Gulf of Aden.After some successful escort details previously, the ESPS Navarra, completed accompanying the Indian Dhow Faize Sultane Kwhaha from Oman across to the port of Bosaaso in northern Somalia just last week, the dhow laden with WFP goods. Now a French frigate the Nivose reports she has seized 35 alleged pirates in just three days with an aggressive system of detection and pursuit operations. Staring on Friday four such operations were launched and by this morning and, in company with other EU Navfor vessels and an aircraft also on secondment and believed to be from the Armada Española Air Arm (Spanish Naval Air Service), plus supporting...

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Prosecution for deliberate pollution of the waters A Russian captain of the Liberian-flagged Matterhorn ship prosecuted for deliberate pollution of the waters, was sentenced to a 1-m-euro fine by the correctional court of Brest.The sentence is consistent with the prosecution Bertrand Leclerc, the prosecutor said at the hearing on 7 January, calling it a voluntary pollution, not a failure or an accidental release, while the captains lawyer insisted on the negligence and carelessness, which resulted in a leak of petroleum products.The court stated that 90% of the fine to be paid by Eastwind Transport, the Greek shipowner. The captain and the owner must also pay a total of 28.600 euros to seven organizations that had represented the civil parties, LExpress reports.In May 2009 the 115-m-length reefer ship left the Port of Kaliningrad heading for the Canary Islands. When the ship was passing along France coastline, the local authorities found a large oil patch they alleged left by the ship. On May 26 the shipmaster was forced to be docked at the port of Brest. At the time of detention the reefer crew consisted of 15 members 13 citizens of Russia and the two Ukrainians. Prosecutors of Brest set a 300.000-euro...